Nala's Brother: Return to Priderock
by Sandan1992
Summary: Alex returns to Priderock, just in time for the events of the second movie.  Sequel to Nala's Brother.
1. Chapter 1: The Return

*****Chapter 1*****

*****The Return of a Brother*****

The golden savannah was hot and humid just like he remembered it. Gently rolling hills dotted with lush acacias spread out in a seemingly never ending sprawl across the earth's surface. The sapphire sky was flawless and the sun shone down on the grassland. The returning Pridelander walked at a reasonable pace through the knee high grass, careful not to make too much noise. He was well aware that not many animals in this area liked to be startled, and he didn't feel like getting into a fight right now. He traveled past herds of healthy animals and flocks of countless birds; the land was in fantastic shape, and it only got better as he approached the borders of the Pridelands. He climbed a familiar hill that rose from the relatively level area around it. From atop the mound, he could see off in the distance the massive stone structure he knew as Priderock.

Alex smiled as he quickened his pace; he was almost home. It had been a long time since he had left the Pridelands and he was anxious to be back with the family that he had become a part of. Scar's reign had been a terrible period of time, filled with death, hardships, and violence, but it also built the pride into a stronger team. He remembered Nala, how she laughed and smiled. He missed her company and wanted desperately to see her. They had been through so much together, from Simba's supposed death, through Scar's madness, and to Simba's return as the true king. Now she surely had a child of her own, and Alex was giddy with excitement.

He had left the Pridelands reluctantly, but out of necessity. In the same way that Simba had to leave his jungle paradise for his family, Alex had responsibilities elsewhere. The plane crash that had left him stranded in the African Savannah had labeled him as "Presumed Dead" by all official reports. It seemed crazy to think that a teenager could survive a plane crash _and_ almost two years alone in the African wilderness, though he had done it. Granted, he hadn't done it _alone_, but what was he supposed to say? That he had been taken in by a pride of lions? No, it was better to just say that he did it on his own.

The transition back into normal life had been difficult for him to say the least. There were just so many _people_ in the city. The buildings even made him feel a bit claustrophobic in contrast to the open plains of Africa. His parents had been overjoyed as had the rest of his family; after all, he was presumed dead. For a while there had been a lot of news reporters looking for interviews with him, and he gave them readily, he was just careful not to make anyone curious of the area he lived in; Priderock didn't need humans near it.

One of the most annoying things that he found upon on his arrival was how everyone freaked out about his health. All the doctors he went to assumed he had contracted malaria, West Nile, or some other foreign disease. The ugly scars that covered most of his body did not help his case. He lost more blood to the doctors for testing than he ever had from all of his near-death fights with the hyenas. He received so much treatment for things he didn't have, it became pretty tedious and irritating. But despite all the difficulties of the past, he had finished his schooling and saved his money for the return trip. Neither of his parents were happy with the fact that he _wanted_ to return to the place that almost killed him, but eventually they gave in and helped him to plan a trip.

He took a plane to the closest major city to the Pridelands, which still put him many miles away from his destination. From there, he hitched a ride with a humanitarian convoy heading in the correct direction. To Alex's delight, they dropped him off less than a two day's hike from the Pridelands' border. From there it was just a matter of walking, which he had no problem doing. He was an average sized human and came just as well as he had the time before. He had his backpack of camping gear which contained everything and anything that could be useful.

As he walked, Alex drew his knife from its sheath and began to whittle away at a large stick he found on the ground. The knife he had was _not_ the same as the one he had originally arrived with; he had left _that_ knife buried into a tree at the base of Priderock. He smiled as he remembered how he promised Nala that he would be back for it. Gradually, the stick he carved took shape. He removed all the knots from the sides and stripped the bark from the smooth wood underneath. In a short while, he had a well balanced staff that felt familiar in his grip. He spun the finished staff in disciplined arcs around his body, remembering how different it was to fight animals as opposed to people. Lions and hyenas always fought to kill, and if you fought with anything less than that in mind, they would kill you. It was a style of fighting that required strong core abilities like speed, strength, and balance. Efficiency was key; do the most damage with the least amount of effort possible. Fond memories returned of sparring matches with Nala in the early morning hours. He was very anxious to get home and see everyone, but the sun was beginning to set. He would camp for the night and arrive at the great stone in the morning.

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Alex left early in the morning before the sun rose. He moved quickly through the lush savannah and soon arrived at Priderock. He entered the common area rather timidly; something about reunions always made him nervous. He looked around, but no one was there. The sun had only just risen; he figured that everyone was still asleep. He knew that Nala in particular was _not_ a morning person. A familiar tree caught his eye. He examined the sharp eight-inch chunk of steel that protruded from the sharp wood. His old knife was charred and blackened from the fire that had engulfed Priderock the night of Simba's return. Its handle was gone as well, burned off in the inferno that ended the saga that was Scar. He ran his finger over the rusting metal; had he seen in lying on the ground, he probably would have discounted it for an oddly shaped stone. Though it kept its shape and remained reasonably sharp, it was hardly recognizable as a knife. He gripped the metal that the handle had been attached to and began to work it back and forth out of the wood that had grown up around it. A young voice made him turn.

"Hey!" it called. "Don't touch that!" A young lioness stared at him angrily and started to growl.

Alex stopped and stared at her in amazement. Her deep blue eyes were unmistakable, as was her gutsy attitude.

"That's my mom's, and she doesn't want anyone to touch it, so don't!"

Alex took a knee and set down his gear. "What's your name?" he asked her calmly.

The lioness blinked at the change in the conversation. "Ummm, I'm Kiara." she responded hesitantly, unsure of how to treat this human.

Alex smiled at her uncertainty. "What do you know about this knife, Kiara?"

She maintained her skepticism as she spoke. "I know that it belonged to my Mom's friend a long time ago. Before he left, he stuck it into the tree. She doesn't want anyone to move it in case he comes back."

Alex was quiet in thought; he was trying to figure out how to best go about this introduction. "Are your parents around?"

Kiara took a step backwards, seemingly taking his question as a threat of sorts. "My dad's the _king_. He's out on a patrol, but he's gonna be back any second!" As if on cue, a rustling in the bushes farther down a path caught their attention. "Daddy!" Kiara shouted, running to her emerging father. "Daddy, there'saguyhere, andhe'saskingallsortsofquestions aboutus! She said urgently.

Simba frowned, somehow making sense of her jumbled sentence. He growled and came bounding towards the tree.

Alex stood and smiled at the familiar lion. Simba froze and stared blankly at the returned human. "Alex?" he asked astonishedly.

"It's good to see you, Simba." Alex greeted as he pulled the massive lion into a firm hug.

"When did you get here?" he asked, still shocked by Alex's return.

"Just now, I was talking to Kiara, but I guess I kind of freaked her out." He replied sheepishly.

Simba chuckled and called his daughter over. She walked over, clearly confused at her father's happiness. "What. Who is this?"

"Kiara, this is Alex. He's your mother's _kind-of_ brother; pretty much your uncle. That's his knife in the tree."

Alex blinked in synchronism with Kiara. _Uncle_. He hadn't thought of it like that before, but it made sense. Nala _was_ like a sister to him, and he was her brother. He looked down to Kiara who was still quite surprised.

"You're the guy that Mom always talks about? I- I'm sorry… I didn't know."

Alex laughed at her embarrassment. "Don't worry; it's good to be a little suspicious."

"Yes…" agreed Simba rather darkly. "It is."

The trio ascended the ramp of Priderock towards the main cave. They entered the cool interior of the great stone and looked around. Alex smiled at the sleeping lionesses; he saw a lot of familiar faces, but there was one in particular that he was searching for. He quickly found Nala towards the back in the area that he remembered usually being taken up by Scar. He walked quietly through the maze of unconscious bodies and knelt beside his sleeping sister. He moved to wake her gently, but Kiara had a different Idea.

"MOM!" she cried, crashing into the slumbering lioness.

Nala awoke with a start and glared at her nearly grown daughter. "Kiara! You are far too old to be waking me like that!"

"But… Alex is here." She responded, pointing to the kneeling human behind her.

Nala gasped and quickly rose to her feet. "Alex!" she cried as she lunged and pinned him to the stone. "I've missed you so much, it's so good to see you!"

"It's great to see you too, Nala." Alex said through a wide grin. "I told you I wouldn't miss Kiara's first hunt."

Simba smiled. "Well you got here a week early. Pretty good timing if you ask me."

Nala climbed off of her returned friend and Alex stood to follow the lions out of the cave. They didn't want to wake any of the others.

"So what have you all been up to since I left?" Alex asked, curious of how the new pride and developed.

"Not much," Simba replied honestly. "We haven't had many serious issues emerge in a while. There are always squabbles between the herds, but they're never very difficult to resolve."

Alex was surprised. His memories of the Pridelands were filled with conflict; it seemed strange that everything was alright. "So no rouges, droughts, rival prides, or anything?"

Nala sighed. "Actually…"

Simba cut her off. "Kiara, would you go find Zazu for me, I need his report."

The young lioness smiled before bounding off. "Sure daddy!"

Simba frowned and turned back to Alex. "Sorry, she has a tough time understanding… there have been some troubles with the outlanders."

Alex blinked, he had never heard that term used before. "Who?"

Nala decided to explain. "When Scar's followers left, they settled in the outlands, just outside our borders."

"What? Why would they do that?" Alex asked quizzically. "There are plenty of better lands than that stretch of dirt."

"They want to return." Simba said darkly.

"Like they want forgiveness, or what?"

Nala shook her head. "No, Zira wants to kill Simba and have her cub follow in Scar's tracks."

Alex stared blankly. "I- I killed Zira…" he spoke slowly.

"She survived." Nala uttered darkly. "And she wants the Pridelands."

Alex frowned at the memory, how Zira had attacked him the night Simba returned and how he had only narrowly survived the encounter. He had thought that a knife to her chest would have done the job, but clearly it hadn't.

"Don't worry about it," counseled Simba. "She won't bother us."

Alex hoped he was right. Scar and Zira had attracted a rather vicious crowd, quite unlike the normal lions that stayed at Priderock, and undoubtedly they had swelled their ranks with rouges and outcasts. For now though, he decided to push the troubling thoughts out of his mind. He was happy to be back home, and there was no way he was going to let Zira ruin it for him.

"You said Kiara's first hunt is in a week?" he asked, intentionally changing the subject.

Nala smiled. "Yes, but I'm a little worried that she won't be quite ready." She leaned in with a hushed voice. "_She isn't exactly a naturally born hunter."_

Alex smiled. "Well maybe I could help her out. Your mom taught me pretty well, and it would give us some time to get to know each other."

"I think that's a great idea," Simba agreed. "I'll send her your way when I see her."

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"Sink lower to the ground." Alex whispered to the young lioness who lay in the grass next to him. "It's _extremely_ important to keep as low of a profile as possible."

Kiara nodded and kept her eyes glued to the tree stump ahead of them that was serving as a target. "_Low to the ground…"_ she repeated quietly as she regulated her breathing.

"Advance, but do it _very _carefully and _very _slowly. The biggest mistake you can make is to go too fast."

Kiara moved forward, immediately stepping on a twig. She winced, but stayed frozen. A few more steps brought her within pouncing range of the stump.

"Remember, push off with your back legs; use your front only for balance."

The young lioness prepared herself and let loose her pent-up energy at the target. She flew through the air and within a few fast bounds, she was on it. She slashed at the soft bark a few times and looked back to Alex for approval.

"That was good, just remember that a real animal won't hold still; you _will_ have to chase it." He reminded her. "_And,_ it _will _fight back. On my first hunt the lioness ahead of me got kicked in the ribs by the zebra we were after."

Kiara looked a little shocked. "Wow, was she okay?"

"Yea, just a little bruised. I'm just telling you so you stay careful; hunting is dangerous."

Kiara snorted as she sat on the stump. "You sound like my dad."

"How so?" Alex asked quizzically.

"He's always telling me how the world is _sooo_ dangerous and that I need to be careful." She sighed as she glared off into the distance. "He won't even let me do anything on my own."

"Well, your father knows well how bad things can get if you let them," he commented as he sat down next to her. "You can't blame him for being a little overprotective."

"It's just annoying. I can take care of myself, and he won't let me!" She sighed and rolled onto her back. "Sorry, I don't even really know you yet and I'm already spilling my life problems onto you."

Alex smiled. "Don't worry about it. You may not know me, but you've got enough of your parents in you to make me feel like I know you pretty well."

"I'm nothing like my parents!" she huffed adamantly.

"Oh no? Sorry, I must have confused your parents with the _other_ King and Queen."

Kiara stared at the amused human with an un-amused expression. "I'm not like them." She repeated.

"Maybe not like they are now, but you would be surprised at what they were like as kids."

"Got any funny stories?" the lioness asked, suddenly extremely curious of her parents' early life.

Alex laid his head back into the savannah grass, searching his memories for a good story. It was difficult; almost all of his adventures with Nala had been extremely serious. He didn't find many of them to be very entertaining, but maybe Kiara would.

"Okay," he began. "This wasn't funny at all at the moment, but it does kind of show how you are like your mother."

Kiara nodded and listened intently.

"Ummm, this was when your mom was about half as old as you are now; she was still pretty much a cub. A few fully grown hyenas were making fun of her… so she attacked them."

"Wait, my mom _fought_ hyenas when she was a cub?" Kiara asked astonishedly. "Why didn't she ever tell me that?"

Alex shook his head. "It isn't exactly a pleasant memory. It didn't end well."

"Why not?" Kiara stepped from the stump onto Alex's chest, as if begging him to explain. "Did she get hurt?"

"A little, but nothing more than a scratch or two. _I_ on the other hand, almost died."

Kiara stared. "How does that connect me to my mom?"

Alex looked the young lioness in her eyes. "You both have that same fire in your eyes." He explained. "You know who you care about, and I think that you would act just as your mother did if you thought there was any threat to them."

She nodded, somewhat apprehensively. "Maybe… I don't know."

Alex rose to his feet. "Trust me, you are _a lot_ like her. Now come on, the hunt is probably back by now. We wouldn't want to miss dinner, would we?"

Kiara smiled and fell into step alongside her newly returned uncle on their way back to Priderock. Alex was glad to be back, it felt as if he was finally home. It would be nice to get away from the heavy bustle of typical human life, and just relax for a few weeks with his real family. There were no problems out here now that Scar was gone, it was a perfect world.

*****Author's Note*****

**I received **_**many**_**, and I mean **_**many**_** requests for this, and although I don't usually like to write to 'appease the reader' I eventually decided that this story was not complete. So in response to my fans' pleas and my own desires, here is the beginning, of "Nala's Brother: Return to Priderock".**


	2. Chapter 2: A Day With Kiara

*****Chapter 2*****

*********A Day With Kiara*********

Alex awoke early the next morning to a violent young lioness that practically knocked him off of his homemade bed.

"Hey! Come on!" Kiara demanded.

Alex looked outside to see that the sun had already risen. _Well,_ he figured, _it was time to get up anyways._ He stood and got together all the things that he needed for the day. Knife, cord, water. He looked around at his cave, he could kind of see now that it was light out. It hadn't changed much since he had left; there were still the holes in the wall and the pool of water in the back. His bed had proved to be still strong enough to sleep on, though he planned on redoing it later. Alex turned back to the young lioness who clearly did not have any problem with waking early. "What exactly did you wake me up for?"

She shrugged and led him outside. "I don't know. I'm bored."

Alex smiled; this was more like her father in her than her mother. "Well what do you want to do?"

"I _want_ to go explore and mess around by myself, but my Dad won't let me." She huffed indignantly.

"Let me try, I'll bet I can get him to let you go."

Kiara smiled at her uncle as he climbed the ramp to the lip of Priderock. Simba sat on the edge with Nala, overlooking the savannah.

"Good morning." He greeted them.

Nala smiled and nuzzled his side as he came to stand beside her. "Something on your mind?" she asked.

Alex laughed to himself, Nala always knew when something was up. "I was talking to Kiara…"

"No." Simba stated simply.

"What? You didn't even hear what we were talking about."

Simba never took his eyes off the Pridelands. "Whatever she wants to do, it's probably dangerous and she'll do it in the most dangerous way she can."

Nala sighed and pushed her mate. "Simba, you didn't even hear what she wanted."

"Fine, what does she want to do?" he asked nervously, turning to his mate and brother in law.

"Kiara wants to go exploring the Pridelands on her own." Alex replied simply. He didn't think it was that big of a deal; when Nala was her age she occasionally went on walks by herself, and that was when there were a ton of hyenas around. Clearly, though, Simba found it to be a bit much.

"No." the golden lion repeated.

"Oh come on Simba," Alex pleaded. "She'll be fine, and she needs to get to know the land a little if she's going to be going hunting."

Simba looked up to the sky and was silent for several moments. "Alright." He said finally. "But only if Timon and Pumba go with her."

Nala smiled. "Honey, then she's not going _alone_."

"How about this," Alex offered. "I'll watch her from a ways away to make sure nothing happens."

"I suppose…" Simba sighed reluctantly. "Just be careful."

Alex nodded and started down the ramp. "Of course."

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Kiara trotted along the banks of a slow moving river at a rather quick pace. She was visibly excited to be out on her own, or so she thought. Alex watched her from around thirty yards back. He had no problem keeping up with the young lioness, or even staying out of her sight, it just bothered him to be following her; it seemed deceptive and kind of creepy. He chuckled to himself as he thought of his new role as the _creepy_ uncle that stalked his niece. He wished that Simba would let her do this on her own, but she was _his_ daughter and it wasn't Alex's place to interfere. So, although he disliked his task of spying on Kiara, Alex continued to do it. He figured that she deserved some time "alone".

Kiara sat on the top of a hill, but from his angle, Alex couldn't see what she stared down at. He moved quietly to the side to get a better view. He moved so that Kiara was a ways to his left on the same hilltop. Now he could see what she saw. _The outlands_. Alex never had liked that place, but it was an area that he never had to go to. Unlike the elephant graveyard which had mice and other scavengers, the outlands was just a sunken desert of termite mounds. Very little lived there, except apparently for another pride of revenge-bent lions. The sight of the wastelands across the shallow stream at the base of the hill mesmerized the young man for several moments. Something about the land was interesting to him.

The breaking of a twig to his right made him turn sharply, hand moving instinctively to his knife. He saw as Kiara, now only about fifteen yards away, walked directly towards his hiding spot. Alex immediately dropped to the ground and rolled to the side. Through the grass he watched her walk by, completely unaware of his existence. She continued down a lightly trodden trail and eventually disappeared behind a small grove of trees.

Alex let out a deep sigh of relief. He did _not_ want to be thought of as the creepy uncle, even if he was. He noted to himself to pay more attention to where she was as he took off down the trail she took.

The day passed relatively uneventfully. Alex continued to watch Kiara roam the Pridelands on her own. He found it very amusing how she entertained herself with the various bugs she found; she tried to sneak up on them and catch them, though with very limited success. The afternoon began to grow on him as the sun sank lower into the sky. Alex decided it was probably time to get back to Priderock, and he should probably take his mischievous niece with him.

"Kiara!" he called as he walked to where she was investigating a large rock structure.

The young lioness looked up at him and started off towards where he was. "Where did you come from?" she asked.

"I was just curious as to where you ran off to this morning, so I came looking for you. You weren't that difficult to find."

"Ah." She replied shortly as she looked back to the rocky outcrop. "I don't think I've ever been here before." She remarked.

"It's been a while for me, things have changed a bit." Alex thought back darkly on memories of scorched black stones and dead savannah grasses. It was certainly different than he remembered. He looked back to Kiara, only to see that she had begun to climb the massive stone. "What are you doing?" he called to her.

"I –oof… I just wanted to see the view from up here!" she called back as she neared almost twenty feet off the ground.

"Come on," Alex pleaded. "Your dad is gonna kill me if you get hurt."

"He worries too much!"

"I'm starting to get a little nervous myself."

"Well don't, I've got this!"

Alex sighed as he placed his head in his hands. He prayed to god that she wouldn't fall.

"WOW!" Kiara cried as she reached the top of the huge rock. "I can see EVERYTHING!"

"Well hurry up before the wind throws you off! I don't have the right tools with me to peel you off the ground if you fall."

"Okay, Okay, I'm coming!" she replied in an annoyed tone as she began her descent.

Alex watched nervously as she neared the ground, only letting out his breath when she finally touched down. "Come on, let's go home."

"Okay." She replied contently as she fell into step beside him.

Alex looked down at Kiara. She was a lot like her parents, that was sure, but there was also something else. She was unique, and it felt wrong to say that she was just like them. Nala never would have climbed that rock. No, he decided, she was definitely different than her parents, even if she did have some obvious similarities.

"Uncle Alex?" she asked after a while.

"Don't call me that." Alex said with a smile.

Kiara looked confused "What? Uncle Alex?"

"Yea, Alex is fine."

"Why?"

"I don't know, it just feels weird. It makes me feel old."

"You _are_ old."

Alex laughed aloud. He was a teenager for god sakes; he had his whole life ahead of him. "I'm only eighteen." He replied.

Kiara stared at him, shocked at the revelation. "That's _really_ old!"

Alex shook his head at her surprise. "Humans can live to be a hundred; in human terms, I'm only a little older than you."

The lioness stared at him blankly. "Wow." She said after a minute, then she remembered her question. "So, _Alex_," she began again. "What do _you_ think about the Outlanders?"

Alex blinked. Of all the things she could have asked him about, she chose to ask about this. "Umm…" he began. "I think I they're dangerous."

"All of them?"

"Most of them."

She sighed. "I wish my dad thought more like you, he thinks that every last one of them is gonna try to kill us all."

"I don't blame him for assuming that," he responded, causing Kiara to look up confusedly. "He's the king, he has to be overprotective."

"But they aren't _all_ bad!" she protested.

Alex stared at her for a moment, confused at her outburst. "Are you thinking about someone in particular?" he asked.

Kiara sighed and nodded slowly. "There was this kid I met when I was younger, we were playing for a while before my dad and Zira showed up." She lowered her eyes to the ground. "He didn't do anything wrong, and my dad made him leave."

"What did you want him to do? Take him from his mother and raise him as his own?"

"I don't know… I just wish it could have turned out differently."

"I know what you mean, and you're right. They aren't all bad, but your dad has to protect this pride."

"I guess…" she grumbled, not at all happy at the fact.

"Come on," Alex tried to cheer her up, "Don't worry about it. Your first hunt is in a couple days, be happy!"

The young lioness smiled at him. "Yea, I guess I should be happier."

The two continued back to Priderock together. Alex was pleased that they were getting along so well; one of his biggest fears had been that his niece would hate him, and it was nice to know that it never came true. The sun was disappearing behind distant mountains by the time that they reached the main area under the lip of their great stone. Kiara went ahead to nuzzle her parents before she proceeded to the freshly caught wildebeest.

"Well?" Nala asked Alex as he approached the king and queen.

"Well what?"

Simba smiled. "Well, how was your day with Kiara?"

"Oh it was great, we messed with the Rhinos and got them to chase us, went swimming by the waterfall and…" Alex couldn't help but crack up at Simba's horrified expression. "I'm kidding! Geez, relax."

"Don't do that…" muttered the king, still a bit pale from the fright.

Nala laughed at her husband's fright. "What did you _really_ do?"

Alex shrugged. "Not much, she just walked around all day, and we were just talking on the way back here. She's very excited about her first hunt."

"I'll bet she is," Simba said sadly. "I just wish she would be more careful."

Nala pushed the great lion onto his side. "Simba, Kiara. Is. Fine. Stop worrying about her."

Alex laughed as Simba nodded and leaned up to lick his wife's muzzle.

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The stars were brilliant in the African sky, there was no light pollution as there was in the human world. The unfamiliar constellations were refreshing as was the cool night air.

"I just saw a shooting star." whispered Nala who lay to his left.

"That was a firefly, mom." Kiara said as she giggled.

Simba chuckled. "It's okay, Nala, I thought it was a shooting star too."

Nala rolled her eyes. "It was still pretty."

Alex smiled. This was something that he didn't even do with his family back home. Stargazing was a boring thing to most humans, but here it was a vital source of entertainment and wonder. "Remember when we used to do this all the time, Nala?" he asked his sister.

Though he couldn't see her face in the darkness, he could hear her smile in her voice. "Yea… and Mom always made us come in way too early."

"Yea, good times."

"Not that great."

Alex nodded. "There were moments… like this."

"Kiara?" Simba asked after several moments of silence.

"Yea?"

"You aren't allowed to grow up."

"What?" she asked, startled at her father's statement.

Alex and Nala both started to laugh.

"You're too big as it is, Kiara." Simba explained. "I won't allow you to get any older."

"Daddy, I'll always be your little girl." She responded as she snuggled up to her father.

"Oh, how sweet." Nala purred as she looked to Alex who was still grinning.

*****Author's Note*****

**This story is proving to be a little more difficult than I thought it would be. Unlike the first movie which lasted several years, the main events in the second takes place over a period of **_**four days**_**. I'm used to writing longer stories and this change in timing is bothering me, but whatever. I just have to work a little harder and figure it out.**

**I also wanted to ask all of you about the song/poem quotes that I had in the "Nala's Brother." Was that supplementary to the story, or was it annoying? I never got any comments on it, so I just kept doing it, but it can be a lot of work to find new stuff each chapter. If you want, I'll do it again for the sequel so tell me what you want.  
COMMENT AND REVIEW!**

**-Ben**


	3. Chapter 3: The First Hunt

*****Chapter 3*****

*****The First Hunt*****

The remaining days before Kiara's first hunt passed quickly and uneventfully. Before anyone knew it, it was time for the young princess to take her place with the rest of the huntresses. Alex watched with pure happiness as Kiara descended the ramp from the main cave to her parents who waited at the base of Priderock. Kiara smiled at her uncle as she passed where he stood and Alex smiled back. He wished silently to himself that he could have watched her grow up as he did with Nala, but that was in the past and there was nothing he could do; he was just glad that he could be there for this.

All the older lioness cooed at Kiara as she passed by and Simba glowed with pride at his grown daughter as she reached where her parents sat.

"Daddy, I need you to promise me that you'll let me do this on my own this time." She told Simba firmly.

Alex almost laughed at the face Simba made; he was clearly distraught over letting his precious daughter roam the Pridelands alone, but he also knew how much she needed to do it. "Alright." He answered through a forced voice. "I won't interfere."

"Thanks Dad." She said as she hugged him tightly. Before her father could change his mind, Kiara darted away and into the vast savannah to begin her hunt.

Alex watched as Nala nuzzled her mate in thanks and left for the main cave, leaving Simba alone at the base of Priderock.

"Hey Alex?" he called to his brother in law.

"Yea?" he answered, coming to stand next to the king.

Simba sighed and looked out over the grassland lit by the bright morning sun. "I need you to do me a favor…"

"What?" Alex asked hesitantly, not liking Simba's tone.

"I need you to watch Kiara, just to make sure that she doesn't get hurt."

"Simba…"

"Please Alex," Simba interrupted him. "I'm worried."

"There's nothing to be worried about, she'll be fine."

The golden lion wasn't convinced. "You don't have to do anything, just be there in case she needs you… Please, you know how dangerous these lands can be."

Alex sighed. What could he do, refuse to merely watch over his niece? "Alright, I'll do it."

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The hot sun beat down on the teenager's brow as he watched Kiara sneak towards a small herd of Zebra. She got pretty close before they became vaguely aware of her presence. They took off with her in close pursuit and Alex quickly took up a brisk pace behind them so as not to be left behind in a cloud of dust. However, despite his efforts, that was exactly what happened. The Zebras kicked up plenty of dry dirt into the air and Alex became blinded by it. Furthermore, when the dust finally settled, he couldn't even find Kiara's trail in the chaos of the herd's stampede.

After a half hour of searching for her trail, Alex punched a nearby tree out of frustration. He sat on a rock at its base to think the predicament over. It really wasn't that big of a deal now that he thought about it, it wasn't like Kiara actually _needed_ his help, and he was only there to put Simba's mind at ease. He had tried to follow her, and failed, that was all there was to it.

Alex started walking off back towards Priderock, having failed his mission. Though after only about a quarter mile, angry voices caught his ear. He took off at a rapid pace, praying to god that Kiara hadn't gotten hurt. He burst out of a thicket to see Kiara yelling at a meerkat and a warthog. _Oh no._ Alex thought to himself.

"Please, Princess, try to understand, he was just worried."

"He doesn't trust me!" she cried.

"No… he didn't want you to get hurt."

Alex sighed and started to walk to where the group was arguing. Clearly Simba had sent Timon and Pumba after her as well, and if she found them she might as well know about him. Besides, maybe he could calm her down.

"Alex?" she exclaimed at the sight of her uncle. "What are you doing here?"

"Your father asked me to keep an eye on you, just in case you needed help."

Kiara paced back and forth angrily. "He _promised_ to let me do this on my own! He _lied_!"

Alex shook his head. "Kiara… I-"

"No Alex!" she cut him off. "This isn't about you, this is about my father not keeping his promise!"

Alex was taken aback. She was right, Simba _had_ broken his promise to her and she had every right to be angry with him.

Kiara was still furious. "If he won't let me do this on my own here, then I'll do it somewhere else! Away from the Pridelands!" With that, she took off in the opposite direction of Priderock and disappeared over the hilltop.

"KIARA!" Alex called in a failed attempt to stop her. But it was no use, she was gone. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as he turned to face Timon and Pumba. "Nice job, guys." He turned and ran after Kiara before they could respond.

He ran through the savannah, growing increasingly concerned. Kiara was upset and more prone to make mistakes as a result. In addition, she was heading out of the Pridelands and into unfamiliar terrain; there was a lot more that could happen, and they were a lot farther away from home. Alex cursed his slower bipedal nature, but maintained a steady pace behind her, hoping that he would reach her before something happened.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex slowed to a stop at the top of a large hill right outside the Pridelands. He looked across the unfamiliar land, searching for the runaway princess. He gradually slowed his breathing, again wishing that he had four legs instead of two. He took a deep breath of the hot afternoon air; it smelled strange and made him blink in confusion. The African air usually was somewhat sweet with all the flowers and plants that dotted the grasslands, but this time it was different. He inhaled again and instantly connected the scent with an old memory from his past. _Fire_. Dark memories flooded back of the countless grassfires that swept the Pridelands during Scar's reign and Alex felt his heart begin to race. He looked across the plains and quickly located the cloud of smoke that was rising over the tree tops. Animals were fleeing the rapidly advancing flames. Alex's eyes widened as he realized the danger of the situation; there were strong winds today, blowing directly toward where he stood. It was moving _fast._ Alex swore and raced off to try to find Kiara, she didn't know how to deal with grassfires like he did.

He ran to another hilltop and scanned the crowds of fleeing animals for the tan lioness. He searched for many minutes, and eventually spotted her among the frightened herds. She ran fast, but the winds carried the fire faster. Alex watched in horror as the fires began to close around her. A dark lion from behind her caught his eye just before she disappeared into the smoke. Alex's initial relief at the sight of another lion to help was quickly destroyed by another realization. Any lion out here could only be an outlander… the same outlanders that were determined to take revenge on Simba. Alex took off towards the river. If they were going to escape, that would be where they were going to come out.

He arrived at the banks shortly and to his relief spotted a pair of lions further upstream. He crossed over a fallen log and raced to where Kiara was talking tensely with the dark lion. She took a step in one direction and he cut her off. Alex drew his knife and leapt in between them, facing the dark lion in a ready stance.

"Alex!" Kiara exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Alex never took his eyes off of the dangerous looking lion. "Making sure you're safe, Remember?"

"Well thanks, I guess. But _Kovu_ was the one who saved me."

Alex's expression softened. "You saved her?"

Kovu's expression didn't change, it remained as cold as it had been. "Yes. I saved the princess."

Alex frowned, not happy at all with the circumstance, but he decided that Kovu wasn't a threat. He returned his knife to his sheath and stepped back.

"Alex…" began Kiara. "Kovu is the one I was talking about the other day. The one I met when I was really young."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Kovu." Alex lied. He didn't like this lion one bit, he just hoped Simba would get here soon.

As if on cue, the golden lion burst from the shrubbery with a loud growl, accompanied by Nala.

"Dad!" she cried angrily. "You broke your promise!"

"It's a good thing I did; you almost got hurt!"

Kiara was infuriated. "I was doing fine! Even before Kovu-"

"Kovu?" Simba turned angrily to the dark lion and roared aggressively. Kovu returned the threat with his own menacing roar.

Though Alex didn't like Kovu one bit, he knew that he didn't deserve to be torn apart by Simba. After all, he _did_ save Kiara. "Simba," he started, stepping in between the two feuding beasts. "He saved Kiara from the fire, and he deserves our thanks."

Simba blinked at the new information and turned to Kovu. "You saved her? Why?" he demanded dangerously.

Kovu raised his head proudly before he spoke. "I humbly ask to join your pride."

"NO!" Simba roared angrily. "You were banished with the other outlanders!"

"I left the outlanders! I was only a cub when I was banished, am I to be blamed for a crime I didn't commit?"

Simba growled and turned away. He paced the ground angrily and with indescision.

"Simba…" Nala began. "You owe him your daughter's life."

"She's right Simba," Alex agreed. "It would be wrong to throw him out."

"Fine." Simba said, turning back to Kovu. "I'll allow you to stay with us for now, and I'll reserve judgment until later. We'll see who you really are."

Kiara smiled at Kovu and headed off after her parents with him at her side. Alex stayed back and watched the two young lions leave. Kiara seemed a bit irrational about Kovu, he decided. She was just happy to see an old friend, and not at all concerned about who he was and why he was here. Maybe everyone else had bought the "rouge's" story about leaving the Outlanders, but Alex didn't. Something was definitely off about him, and he intended to find out what it was.

*****Author's Note*****

**I actually have nothing to say this time, other than the usual. COMMENT AND REVIEW PLEASE!**


	4. Chapter 4: Kovu

*****Chapter 4*****

*****Kovu*****

Alex was in a reasonable amount of turmoil as he proceeded back to Priderock with Simba, Nala, Kiara, and _Kovu._ He just couldn't get over the dark lion; there was something very wrong about him, but Alex could not figure out what it could possibly be. Kovu was well spoken, hadn't made any significantly threatening gestures, or even asked for anything much; he had even saved Kiara from the fire. Alex shook his head in indecision and quickened his pace to catch up to Nala who was walking alone in the front of the group.

"Well?" he asked her quietly so that none of the others could hear him.

Nala kept her eyes front. "Well what?"

"You know what."

Nala sighed deeply. "I don't know… He _seems_ alright, but he's Zira's son. Who knows what she taught him."

"I don't like him."

"Alex, he hasn't done anything but help us."

"I know, but there's something off about him. I don't trust him."

"Give him time; he might not be all you think he is."

Alex blinked. "When did you get so wise Nala? I'm the one that usually says stuff like that."

The lioness chuckled to herself. "I'm a mother now, I _have _to be wise. It's like a requirement or something."

The group eventually arrived back at Priderock just as the sun was setting. Kovu drew many stares from the pride as he passed. Alex had to give him credit, he was very calm about the whole thing. He remembered _his_ first day with the Pride; he was scared to death. It seemed to him that every lion was planning on tearing him apart for food, or just for fun. He almost felt bad for Kovu, he was actually at a greater risk of being attacked than Alex ever was, he was an _outsider _and an enemy of the Pridelanders. His connection to Scar was enough to make him hated by all who lived through the dark king's reign.

Alex watched as the lions ascended the ramp to the main cave. He was a bit uncomfortable with Kovu in the same den as everyone else, so he was a bit relieved when Simba cut him off and forced him to sleep outside. He was about to turn away and head off toward his own cave farther down the path, when he spotted Kiara making her way towards Kovu. They talked for a moment in quiet voices; Alex strained his ears to hear, but only managed to catch Kiaras last words.

_"Fine, we start at dawn."_

Whatever they were planning on doing together, Alex intended to be there as well. He didn't trust this new lion.

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Alex woke early the next morning and proceeded to the base of Priderock. The sun had not yet rose above the horizon, though the brilliantly lit sky told enough information to know that it was only a few minutes before sunrise. It was an interesting time of day, the sky was light, but the ground was dark. It was almost _more_ difficult to see now than it was at midnight because the sky contrasted too sharply with the ground. He spotted Kovu in a short amount of time, sitting next to a large boulder. It seemed strange to Alex that he would be up so early; but then again, he probably did not have the most comfortable sleep on the lip of Priderock.

"You're up early." He said cautiously to the dark lion.

Kovu looked up sharply at Alex, clearly surprised by the human. "Yea… I couldn't sleep well."

"I'll bet." Alex agreed. "So tell me, how did you find Kiara yesterday?"

He shrugged. "I was just in the right place at the right time, I guess. Good thing I was, she almost died."

"Yea…" Alex frowned. He didn't like Kovu, but he did save Kiara. "Thanks… for that." He forced.

"No problem."

The two stood in an awkward silence for several moments before Alex spoke again. "Why did you leave?"

Kovu blinked. "Leave where?"

"The outlands; why did you leave your mother?"

"Oh, uh…" Kovu looked around nervously. "They just couldn't provide me the life I wanted. I needed to find my own way."

Alex nodded. The answer seemed perfectly reasonable, but almost rehearsed. As if he had anticipated the question before. "What kind of life are you looking for?"

"A better one."

It was as good of an answer as any, but before Alex could continue his personal interrogation, Kiara showed up.

"Hey Alex, hey Kovu!" she greeted joyfully.

"Hey." they repeated simultaneously.

"I'm ready to begin my lesson!"

"So that's what you two are doing, you're getting a hunting lesson."

"Yep, Kovu thinks that he's a _master_ hunter, so he's going to teach me."

Alex smiled and looked over at Kovu, who was scowling at the nearby waterhole. "Do you need to be elsewhere, Kovu?" he asked the perturbed lion.

"What? I mean… No. Let's go." With that he led Kiara off into the Savannah, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts. Maybe he was wrong about Kovu; he was weird, but maybe it was just because of the stress associated with joining a new pride. He shook his head and headed back to his cave.

"Good morning Alex."

He turned to see Simba emerging from the grass towards him. "Good morning, Simba."

"Have you seen Kiara? I wanted to apologize for yesterday."

Alex cringed, Simba was not going to be happy about his daughter's location. "She actually just left… with Kovu."

"What?" Simba exclaimed.

"He's giving her a hunting lesson…"

Simba shook his head aggressively and began to pace angrily. "She doesn't even know him! He could be here to kidnap her or something!"

"Simba, I think you're overreacting a bit."

"I'M NOT OVERREACTING!" he roared.

"I thought you reserved judgment on Kovu." Alex said calmly.

"I did!"

"Well it seems like you've already decided what you think of him."

Simba snarled and continued to pace. "I don't trust him."

"Niether do I, but we have to give him something. Besides, if you told Kiara that she isn't allowed to see him, it would only make everything worse.

The great lion groaned and laid down in the grass. "I know… You're right, but I don't like it."

Alex laid down next to his friend and sighed. "There's not much we can do."

"I guess not."

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The morning matured slowly and Alex decided to go find Timon and Pumba. Simba had given up worrying about his daughter and decided to spend his concern on his friends. They had been gone all morning, and Alex was glad to have something to do. He knew they were probably at their favorite bug spot, so he headed out in that direction at a gentle pace. There was no need for hurry.

He reached the hilltop by midday and quickly found the duo fighting off the flocks of birds that were competing for their share of bugs. He was walking over to them when a dark lion burst from the other side of the hill and pinned Timon to the ground with a vicious roar. Alex drew his knife and raced towards the attacker, ready to fight.

"Timon?" Kiara asked in a confused tone as she came up behind Kovu. "What are you doing here?"

Alex slowed to a walk and returned his knife to its sheath.

"KIARA!" the meerkat exclaimed happily as he explained that they were only there for the bugs.

"What about you Alex?" she asked skeptically. "Did my dad send you?"

"Actually yes, but not for you. He didn't know where Timon and Pumba were. He _was_ looking for you though, Kiara."

She frowned. "Probably to tell me I can't be out here."

"Actually he wanted to apologize for yesterday."

"What? That doesn't sound like my dad."

Alex smiled. "I think he means it, he feels bad."

Timon decided to cut in. "Hey! Big lion guy! Wanna scare these birds away!"

Kovu stared at the meerkat.

"You know… wrar.. ROAR!"

"What?"

Kiara giggled at the confused lion. "Like this." She said before she belted out a thundering roar that scattered all the nearby flocks.

Alex laughed and chased after the group who ran after the fleeing birds. They ran across the savannah, close behind the low flying birds. Kovu was clearly confused.

"Why are we doing this? This has no training value at all!"

Kiara laughed. "Training? This is just for fun!"

"Fun?"

Timon was shocked at Kovu's confusion. "You don't know how to have fun kid? You need to get out more, sheesh."

Kovu let out a deep laugh as he came to understand the event for what it was.

The group continued the chase into a small canyon with high walls. Just when they thought they had lost the flock, they turned a corner to see the birds perched on a group of extremely large rhinos. They stopped hardly a foot from the massive horns.

Alex's heart almost stopped at the sight. "Oh shi-"

"HEY! No swearing in front of the kids!" cried Timon as he turned tail and ran back the way they came.

Alex decided he could finish his sentence later and ran after them with a horde of thundering rhinos on his tail. He looked frantically around, the others were fast enough to keep far enough ahead of the beasts, but Alex couldn't keep his speed up for long. He needed an out. He was just about to try to climb the canyon sides when a sharp grab pulled him into a tight cave. The rhinos thundered by harmlessly and Alex looked around at the animals he was suffocating. They all started laughing and Alex was kicked out of the tight fit onto the dusty ground.

"Thanks guys, I probably would have been killed if you hadn't pulled me in."

Kiara smiled. "No problem. But let's not tell my dad about this, okay?"

"Of course not princess," Timon replied. "He'd eat us if he ever found out."

Alex nodded in agreement. "My lips are sealed. Kovu?"

Kovu had been zoning out, and became startled by Alex's question. "What? Huh?"

"You aren't going to tell Simba about this are you?"

"Oh… uh, No. You don't have to worry about me talking to Simba."

Kiara pushed him playfully. "You're scared of him!"

"I AM NOT!" Kovu shouted aggressively.

"Woah man… Take a chill pill." Timon told him.

"Sorry…" he apologized sheepishly. "I just… Never mind."

"Kiara gave him a funny look. "Okaaay… Let's play tag! You're it!" she yelled as she tagged Kovu before bolting into the shrubbery.

"What?" he asked, clearly confused again.

Alex decided he should explain the concept to the poor lion. "She tagged you, so now you have to tag someone else. Then they'll try to tag someone else and so on and so forth."

"Oh…" he replied, the idea finally making sense. "Well in that case… TAG" he shouted as he lunged at Alex.

The human tried to dodge, but was too close to get away from the dark lion's paw. He ran after the fleeing Kovu and Kiara. He knew the land better than either of them, a skill that proved to more than make up for his lesser speed. He saw the two of them panting by the banks of the water hole, so he ran up a nearby overhang and leapt off the edge, directly over the giggling duo. He hit them both head on and they all went flying into the surprisingly deep water. They came to the surface, gasping for air.

"Tag." Alex said smugly before bursting into laughing at the two soaked lions that glared at him.

He swam to the shore and began to pull himself out, but was pulled back by a pair of strong paws. Kovu threw him back into the water and Kiara started to splash him as hard as he could.

"OKAY! OKAY!" Alex shouted after he swallowed several mouthfuls of water.

The splashing ceased and the two lions started laughing at him as they climbed out. "That's what you get for getting a cat wet!" Kiara said through giggles.

"I thought that the princess liked to play!" he taunted. "And don't tell me that the fearless _Kovu_ is afraid of a little water like you!"

Kovu chuckled. "I just _dislike_ it is all. Kiara is the one that's afraid of it."

"HEY!" she protested.

Alex smiled. Maybe Kovu wasn't as bad as he had originally thought. "You know Kovu, you're alright. I'm sorry if I was a little cold this morning."

Kiara smiled at her two friends, glad that they were getting along. Kovu just looked taken aback. "Um, yea… thanks. I appreciate it."

"Well I'll let you two get back to your hunting lesson. I need to go find Simba."

Both the lions blinked. They had _completely_ forgotten about the hunting lesson.

"Don't tell Daddy about the rhinos!" Kiara called after him.

"I won't!" Alex responded reassuringly as he vanished into the foliage. Kovu wasn't that bad, and he _did_ feel bad for being a little harsh. He didn't know Kovu, it was wrong to judge the guy based completely on his mother. He looked up at the afternoon sun, it was getting low. He found it funny how quickly the day had gone. He decided to take a shortcut through a small rocky outcrop, similar to the one that they had almost been killed in earlier that day. He navigated through the tan rocks in the dimming light, keeping his eyes on his feet to be sure of his footing.

"Stop there." hissed a voice directly in front of him.

Alex looked up sharply and drew his knife. An unfamiliar lioness stared angrily at him. "Who are you?" he asked.

"You should be more concerned about your own safety rather than my name, _human_."

Alex didn't like the way she said human, but a noise to his rear caught his attention before he could respond.

A dark, skinny lion slunk out of the shadows with another lioness to his side. "Well, well, well… What do we have here, Vitani?"

The lioness to his side chuckled. "We've got that human that mother hates so much. She'll be very happy about this." She then spoke directly to Alex. "Drop your knife, human. Before we decide to kill you."

Alex frowned. He understood that this must be Zira's daughter, and therefore was likely pretty vicious. He didn't have much choice; maybe if he had his staff he could have taken them, but not with just a knife. He let the blade fall from his fingers onto the cooling stone and stepped back from it. He gazed regretfully at Priderock, not even a half mile away from the safety it offered. He swore as he followed the lions away from the Pridelands and towards the Outlands.

"If this is about Kovu," he began, "You can't have him back. He's part of _our _pride now."

Vitani just laughed.

*****Author's Note*****

**I really like this chapter, I think it came out nicely and more original than the last. Gotta be honest though, I hate writing for Timon and Pumba. They're just difficult characters to write dialogue for. But anyway's, I'm going camping tomorrow for the weekend, so it'll be a few days before the next update. Sorry! **** COMMENT AND REVIEW!**

**-Ben**


	5. Chapter 5: Zira

*****Chapter 5*****

*****Zira*****

The darkening Savannah reflected the darkening hopes that resided within Alex's mind. The situation was not looking very good; he had hoped that Vitani and the other outlanders would be poor kidnappers and provide an opportunity for him to escape, but thus far they had proved to be more than adequate. Alex was unarmed and slower than any lion, but they still treated him with extreme caution. It was clear that they were trained in this.

Alex occasionally glanced back at Priderock, which was disappearing into the savannah both due to the distance and the falling night. He thought about Nala and Simba; they probably wouldn't notice his absence until Kovu and Kiara returned to Priderock, and judging by the fun that they were having earlier, it would probably be a while before they got back. For now, it looked like he was going to have to face the outlanders alone, and he doubted they were going to be very happy to see him. After all, he _was _one of the major reasons Simba came back to Priderock, he was a key factor in Scar's overthrow. He hadn't left Zira on the best of terms either. Things were definitely _not_ looking good.

As the group walked, Alex thought about his chances. The best case scenario was probably that he would be held ransom to Simba; if Zira wanted Kovu back to punish him for his desertion; it was probably a good chance. However, Zira might just as easily lose her temper and kill him on the spot, and without a weapon, there was little to no way Alex could hope to survive. Either way, he didn't expect to get out unharmed; even as a prisoner, Alex couldn't see Zira following any rules of proper treatment.

The night fell completely and the group crossed a fallen log over a black river into the outlands. The soil was hard and dusty, and the heat from the day still hung in the air. Alex could barely make out multiple termite mounds not too far ahead. The darkness was unsettling to the human, because although he couldn't see the outlanders that he knew watched him pass, they could see him with their superior eyes. It was a disadvantage that made Alex curse the evolutionary process.

He was guided into a dimly lit termite mound and forced into the center of the large cavern. He felt many eyes gazing at him, and it was all Alex could do to keep his heart rate from going through the roof. Panic would kill him, and he knew it. A large lioness descended an elevated rock and proceeded toward the human.

_"Zira."_ Alex spat.

"Well well well. Excellent work Vitani, I was not expecting this." The evil lioness purred.

The scrawny dark lion scrambled to her side. "What about me mother? Did I do good?"

Zira sighed and shook her head. "Yes, Nuka. You did _good._" she responded irritably before turning her attention to Alex. "So Alex… How do you like our home?"

"I think you could have gone somewhere better."

She smiled as she began to circle her prey. "Oh, but then we wouldn't be near enough to see our good friend Simba."

"I'm sure that he'll be happy to see you."

"I'm sure he will." She hissed.

Alex was growing tired of this banter. "What do you want from me Zira? If you want Kovu back, then that's too bad; he's one of us now."

The lionesses around him laughed at this and Zira smiled. "Well I can assure you, we don't need to ransom _you_ back for his loyalty."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry about it. You have your own problems to worry about, don't concern yourself with Kovu."

It was clear that he wasn't going to get any farther with the Kovu issue. "Why were your followers in the Pridelands?"

"Again, that's none of your concern." Zira hissed.

"Fine. But you still never answered my first question; what are you going to do with me?"

Zira sighed mockingly and sat directly in front of the unarmed human. She stared blankly for a moment before raking her claws across Alex's shoulder in a single flash.

The blow ripped into his shoulder and sent him to the floor, wincing in pain. Alex glared up at the cruel lioness in hate.

"You don't seem to understand, Alex." She began in an amused tone. "You are _our_ prisoner. _We_ ask the questions, and _maybe _you will get out of this alive." With that, Zira turned her back and walked off into the darkness.

"Get up." Vitani ordered Alex, who was still on the ground.

Alex glared at the younger lioness, but obeyed. He followed her to a dark corner that was deeper in the termite mound. A series of rocks shaped a small cell-like structure against the walls of the mound. He went inside and took in his surroundings; Vitani stayed outside and kept guard. From what Alex could see, he was completely and utterly screwed. There was no way out of this cell, let alone the mound itself. He sighed and sat on one of the rocks to examine his throbbing shoulder. The bleeding had slowed, and it didn't appear as though anything was really damaged too severely. Zira hadn't meant to really hurt him, just to try and scare him. It had been expected; after all, Alex figured, she was still probably mad about their last engagement. He smiled as he remembered thrusting his knife into the cruel lioness's chest. It was a satisfying memory.

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Time passed imperceptibly for the captive teenager. The blackness of the cell and the unchanging setting created an inescapable feeling of timelessness. The only indication of the passage of time came from the changing of the guard outside his cell, which Alex judged to occur every half hour to an hour. He spent most of his time trying to sleep, though it proved more difficult with the uncomfortable surface and the rather dangerous predicament he was in.

Vitani returned some time later and took up the guard position from her brother. Nuka was clearly aggravated.

"I _told_ you all that I would be a better choice for this mission! Kovu isn't strong enough!"

"SHHHHHH!" Vitani hissed, clearly concerned about Alex overhearing their discussion. She continued in a hushed voice. "Kovu will perform his responsibilities just fine. Simba will be dead soon enough."

Despite her efforts at being quiet, Alex heard it all and he was subsequently dumbfounded. _Kovu was part of a plan to kill Simba? _It was a bit much to swallow; he was a little strange, sure, but an _assassin?_ Alex shook his head and refocused back on the guards' conversation.

"I hate how he acts around that brat of a princess. It's disgusting!" Nuka sneered.

"Keep your voice down," Vitani whispered, "I don't want the human to wake up and hear us. And as far as how he acts around them, it's all part of the plan! He _needs_ to act like he likes them if he wants to get close to Simba!"

Nuka grunted in surrender. "Fine… but it's still annoying."

"Yea. But it is what it is."

Alex listened for a while afterwards, but when their conversation turned to termites, he returned his attention to his own thoughts. It took him a while to come to terms with the new information, but eventually acceptance set in. _Kovu was an assassin and a deceiver_. He was planning on killing Simba by getting close to Kiara and the rest of the pride. Though he found it repulsive, Alex _did_ have to admit that it was a pretty good plan.

In any case, Alex had to do something. He _had_ to warn the others; Kiara was in danger just being _near _him! But what was he supposed to do? He was in a stone cell in a termite mound surrounded by hostile lionesses. Not exactly the best conditions for an escape, but as he thought about it, it also wasn't the worst. Zira was clearly preoccupied with her plan and a bit unconcerned with him as a result. If he did things right, he could get a _huge_ head start and maybe even be home before they knew he was gone.

Alex began to analyze his surroundings a bit more closely. The cell he was in was pretty close to the outside; in fact, he could feel a light breeze coming through a crack in the wall. He bent down to get a closer view. Through the crack he could see soft moonlight and smell the cool night air. The hole wasn't _nearly_ big enough for him to crawl through, or even put his hand through, but he figured he could work at it. One of the advantages of being human was that he had opposable thumbs.

He started to work at the hole, silently removing bits of stone and placing them to the side and out of the way. It wasn't long before he cleared enough debris to fit his head through. Alex smirked to himself at his luck and at the outlanders' mistake. They had likely used the cell before with little trouble, considering that a lion or some other animal would not have been able to do what Alex was doing now. An animal would have at least made a ton of noise trying to escape, but Alex's more dexterous human hands allowed him to move the stone silently and efficiently.

Soon he cleared the way and was able to fit his entire body through, though he decided to wait a while before he left. The guard was due to change any minute, and he didn't want to be missing when they checked. He covered his hole with a large flat rock and laid down next to it. Soon enough, a new lioness came and replaced the old one. A quick glance inside verified that he _was_ still there and was seemingly asleep. She took up the position by the cell and began her watch.

Alex waited several moments to allow the new guard to become rather complacent, and then proceeded to climb slowly out of his freshly dug whole. He was careful to make no noise and replace the flat stone behind him. Within a few moments, he was outside and in the cool night air. Alex glanced around cautiously; he wanted to celebrate his escape, but at the same time he knew that the more difficult part was still ahead. He now had to cross into the Pridelands through the outlands without being seen. He looked up at the sky and noticed that it was lightening; a pinkish hue stained the formerly black sky and made sight even more difficult. As he thought about it, it was beneficial to him. He knew from hunting that in the twilight as well as the morning, this strange hue of light made it difficult to see movement and was helpful to anyone trying to stalk their prey. This time the roles might have been reversed, but he still held the advantage; they were looking for movement, and the light would make it difficult for them to find any.

Alex moved quickly through the wasteland, traveling from obstacle to obstacle around groups of sleeping lionesses. Within a relatively short while, he reached the log to return to the Pridelands. Just as he was nearing his gateway to freedom, a rustling behind him made him turn. An outlander lioness walked toward him, though didn't seem to see the frozen human. Alex slowly dropped to the ground and laid there in the dusty soil. He prayed that she wouldn't see him, though it seemed unlikely that she wouldn't. Just as she was turning to leave, a small animal, probably a mouse, made a move behind where Alex was hiding.

_OH COME ON! _He screamed in his mind, _I didn't even DO that!_

The lioness became curious and walked over to the noise, and literally tripped over the hiding human. Alex remained frozen and the lioness stared at him in confusion. Alex almost laughed, it probably was a pretty strange sight, to find a seemingly unconscious human during an early morning stroll. He was careful not to move as she nudged him. Alex slowly closed his hands around a fist sized rock as she lifted her head and looked back to where the rest of the outlanders were sleeping. She looked back at Alex, only to see a flash of movement. Alex brought the stone down solidly against the lioness' skull, instantly dropping her. A small trickle of blood ran down her forehead as he quickly dragged her unconscious body into the tall grass.

He wasted no time getting across the log and into the Pridelands; he needed to get home, and fast. Kovu was _not _going to get away with this.

*****Author's Note*****

**Here we go, moving right along with the story. I liked writing this chapter because this was the first one that I actually was able to be original with. It gets a bit annoying for me when I have to stay true to the actual movie and not make too many changes, it limits what I can do with the plot; but that's the nature of this kind of story. It is what it is and that's all there is to it.**

**On another note, I just wanted to draw your attention to something of importance to me. I have a lot of fun on this site, but sometimes the real world can be more inspiring than fiction. My very good friend, Pat, is leaving tomorrow for Basic training at Fort Knox in Kentucky, then continuing on for his job training as an Army Cavalry Scout. When he returns in around six months or so, he is scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan for a fourteen month tour of duty. This seventeen year old guy is **_**choosing**_** to do this for us, and his courage, selflessness, and sheer will is more inspiring to me than any movie or piece of fiction I have ever seen. Whether or not you agree with the war, I hope that you all can appreciate what Pat is doing and you can receive some inspiration as I have.**

**-Ben**


	6. Chapter 6: Confrontation

*****Chapter 6*****

*****Confrontation*****

Alex ran as fast as he could through the lightening Savannah, but he could only move so quickly in the still dark grass. He stuck to familiar routes to avoid being tripped up by unseen obstacles and plotted a course to Priderock. The cool morning air would normally have been quite soothing and calming to the young teenager, but now he didn't feel it at all. Alex was completely focused on stopping Kovu; the pride wasn't safe with him around.

A loud roar from the outlands made him stop and turn. _Zira realized he escaped_. Alex returned to running; it wouldn't be long before he had outlanders on his tail, and with their superior speed and vision, it probably wouldn't be very long at all. All he could hope for was that he would get close enough to Priderock so that they would give up the chase. All he could do was run.

He felt the cold grass, wet with dew, brush past his body as he sprinted through the savannah. He was starting to get tired, but he kept going. If he was recaptured, there was no way they would let him escape again. In fact, he would probably just be killed out of simplicity. Alex frowned at the thought; it was a very black and white situation, there was no in-between. He would either escape and return home, or he would die.

A stick broke to his left and Alex threw himself to the ground to hide. He held perfectly still and regulated his breathing into silence as he watched a ratty pair of lionesses emerge from the brush. They sniffed the air and glanced around, scanning the grassland for the escaped human. Alex silently inched away from the search party, trying desperately to get behind a nearby rock.

"_SNAP!"_ A small twig shattered under his foot and Alex swore silently. He looked up to the two lionesses to see them staring directly at him with evil smiles. He didn't wait for them to make the first move, Alex took off in a dead sprint. He was sure that they were right behind him, but Priderock was still quite a ways off. He needed a new plan. He spotted the rocky outcrop that he had been almost killed in the day before by the Rhinos. Maybe, he figured, he could lose his chasers in the rocks. It was worth a shot, so he changed directions and raced off towards the large boulders.

To his surprise, he made it to the outcrop without being caught. He looked back to see the lionesses still close behind him, but merely jogging; they weren't even breathing hard. Alex frowned and returned his attention to his escape, they _enjoyed_ this! They were savoring the chase, and it was irritating to the runaway human. It was a rule that almost fell under the "don't play with your food" rule; it isn't okay to toy with your prey. In this case though, Alex accepted it as a shot of luck; maybe their carelessness would allow him to get away.

He ran through the rocky canyon at full speed, the familiar walls reminding him of the chase the day before. He thought back to the day before, carefree fun with Kiara and Kovu. Running through the stones with Rhino's on their tail. Despite the predicament he was in, Alex smiled at the memory. He looked down at the ground and saw the footprints of the massive beasts from the day before. He squinted in the light to get a better look at them, something was different about them. _ They were backwards._ Alex stared at the large rhino tracks that led the same direction that he was currently running. He knew how the larger herd animals like elephants and rhinos tended to not move nearly as much as the smaller animals. If the rhinos had returned to their desired spot after the chase yesterday, it was only a matter of time before he ran into them again. Alex groaned inwardly; he was either going to be mauled by outlanders, or trampled by rhinos. Neither option sounded very appealing.

Nevertheless, he charged ahead toward the herd of rhinos without hesitation. There wasn't much else he could do, except pray for a miracle. Alex turned a corner around a large boulder, and directly into the herd of rhinos. They all looked up angrily at the intruder; the early morning tiredness didn't improve their mood either. As a single group, the beasts moved aggressively toward Alex and the lionesses right behind him. Alex moved fast to try and get around the herd, but the outlanders froze in their tracks. They hadn't counted on rhinos.

Alex ran as fast as he could to the walls of the canyon and climbed atop a large boulder before the closest rhino caught up to him. It wasn't a safe spot by any definition of the word, but it did give him time. He fell backwards onto the boulder to avoid a large horn that was thrust at him by the enraged beast. The canyon wall prevented him from getting any farther away, so Alex could only watch as the rhino smashed against the massive stone that he sat upon. He looked frantically around for an escape, only to see the two outlanders running back down the way they came. _Well,_ he thought,_ that's one problem taken care of._ He returned his attention to getting away from the deadly horn that kept getting dangerously close. He looked up to see if he could climb out of the canyon; the dirt sides were steep and the ridge was a good five feet out of his reach. However, there were many roots that protruded from the dry soil.

Alex gripped the closest and strongest root he could find and lifted himself up the next one. His heart raced as he climbed; there was no way of knowing if the root would support his weight until he had grabbed it, and if it didn't support his weight, he was going to fall back to the rhino. He dug his feet into the dirt below and tried to push off as best he could, but he only succeeded in displacing the soil onto the boulder below. A desperate lunge upwards gave him a grip on a new root, but the initial relief dissipated when the root gave way and pulled out of the ground. Alex frantically reached for another to replace the lost grip, and managed to grab hold of a protruding rock. The dirt around the stone loosened and seemed ready to give way, so he wasted no time reaching for a large strong root only a foot below the canyon ridge. His hand closed around the tree root just as the stone fell from the wall and landed squarely on the furious rhino below.

With a final heave, Alex pulled himself onto the ledge overlooking the small canyon and laid down in the cool grass. He slowed his breathing and allowed his mind to catch up with his body. He looked around and saw that Priderock was only a short distance away. _Kovu_. Alex stood and took up a swift pace to stop the assassin. He needed to move fast if he was going to protect the pride.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Within a few moments, Alex reached the base of the great stone. He ran to an old familiar tree and ripped his charred knife from the soft bark. The cold metal blade was awkward to hold without the handle, but Alex didn't care. If it came to it, he wouldn't need comfort to kill Kovu.

Voices from the far side of Priderock caught Alex's ear; one was definitely Kovu, and he didn't doubt that Kiara was the other. He sprinted around boulders and over logs to find the pair of lions under an overhang. Kovu wasn't aware of Alex's arrival, so the human froze for a moment to watch him. Alex debated with himself; Kovu was extremely vulnerable in his current position and Alex could probably kill him with a single lunge. However, Kiara would never forgive him if he simply killed the dark lion without talking first. But if he tried to talk to the assassin, Kovu could quite possibly escape, or worse. _No,_ he decided. _He would kill the liar now._

Alex leapt from his hiding spot with his knife over his head, ready to strike downward into Kovu's back. He lunged quickly and accurately, but Kovu was trained well. At the first sound of Alex's attack, Kovu collapsed his body to the ground, causing Alex to lunge harmlessly over the lion's body. Alex rolled to absorb his momentum and quickly regained his balance. Without hesitating he swung out again with the blackened knife at Kovu's throat, but the dark lion dodged again with an aggressive growl. He was about ready to strike out at the attacking human, when Kiara lunged at Alex and pinned him to the stone floor.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" she yelled at Alex as Kovu walked up beside her looking extremely confused.

Alex glared at the dark lion. "Kovu is a liar! He's not a rougue like he said!"

Kiara stared at him blankly. "What are you talking about? Kovu's part of our pride now!"

"No, he isn't! He's here because Zira sent him; he's working for the outlanders still!"

Kiara stared at her uncle with disbelieving eyes. "Alex, Kovu is one of us, that's ridiculous.

Kovu stared off at the rising sun in silence for a moment before speaking. "_No._ It isn't… Alex is right."

"HE'S LYI-" Alex began before realizing what Kovu had actually said. "Wait, what?"

"What are you talking about Kovu?" asked Kiara as she removed herself from Alex.

Kovu stared at the ground. "This was what I needed to talk to you about this morning." The lion took a deep breath before continuing. "Zira had a plot, and I was a part of it… She wanted me to kill your father."

"_What?"_ Kiara exclaimed, horrified at the revelation.

Alex slowly rose to his feet, confused at Kovu's willingness to tell her. He had expected the liar to do what he had been doing, _lie._ Maybe there was something else going on, he guessed.

"But I don't want to be a part of it anymore, Kiara!" the dark lion tried to explain. "I- I can't do it… because…"

"Because what Kovu? Why can't you _murder_ my father?" she demanded angrily.

"I can't because I _love_ you!" he blurted out.

Kiara was silent. "What?" she asked quietly.

"I love you Kiara, and I could never hurt you or anyone you care about. I don't care about my mother's plan; I wish I had never agreed to it. Please… can you forgive me?"

Kiara smiled and was silent for several moments. "I forgive you, Kovu. And I love you too."

The two lions began to nuzzle each other affectionately, leaving Alex standing dumbfounded. _Lions are weird_, he decided. Kiara had met Kovu only two days earlier, and already they _loved_ each other? The teenager shrugged it off; Nala and Simba had been the same way, it must be a lion thing to find true love in a matter of days.

Setting the love issue to the side, Alex thought the event over in his head. He wanted to hate the lion that deceived them all, but he began to feel bad for the guy. After all, Kovu was a young lion, barely older than Kiara. Growing up in the outlands was probably not the easiest childhood, nor was having Zira for a mother. The more he thought about it, the more he came to see Kovu as a victim of circumstance.

"Have you told anyone else?" he asked the dark lion.

"No." he responded shortly.

"You need to tell Simba."

Kovu looked at Kiara with horrified eyes. "I- but… He'll tear me apart! He already hates me, if I tell him that I was sent to kill him, who knows what he'll do?"

Kiara smirked at Kovu's fears. "Don't worry. He'll understand."

As if on cue, Simba came around the corner. "Kiara, I don't want you talking to him. _ I_ want to talk to him."

Kovu looked nervously at Alex, who merely nodded in encouragement. The dark lion followed Simba off into the savannah.

"Simba!" Alex called, catching the king by surprise. "Be careful when you're out there, the herds are a bit skittish. There might be some intruders around."

Simba nodded in appreciation and disappeared into the grass.

Alex stood with Kiara in silence for a moment. "Well that was interesting…" he said after a moment.

The young lioness nodded after a moment and glanced at her uncle. "How did you know abo- _Oh my god_, what happened to your shoulder?" she gasped as she saw the dried blood.

"Oh…" Alex responded. "Well after I left you two yesterday, I got captured by Zira. She wasn't too happy to see me, as you can see."

"Is that how you found out about her plot?"

"Yea. I thought Kovu was going to follow through with it, so I escaped and tried to protect you from him." he grinned as he finished.

Kiara laughed. "Well, I'm sorry, but I think Kovu would have won that fight."

"Yea… I didn't expect him to be that good."

"Well come on." She said as she looked out across the savannah, seemingly a bit distracted. "We should clean your shoulder."

Alex saw her concern. "Don't worry. If Kovu is as honest with your father as he was with you, then he'll be fine. Simba is a fair king."

Kiara nodded. "I hope you're right."

*****Author's Note*****

**I have nothing to say this time, except that I have nothing to say, except that I have nothing to say, except that I have nothing to say, except that I have nothing to say, except that I have nothing to say, except that I have nothing to say, except that I have nothing to say, except…  
REVIEW PLEASE!**

**-Ben**


	7. Chapter 7: Collapse

*****Chapter 7*****

*****Collapse*****

Alex spent the rest of the morning with Kiara. After the chaos of the night before, it felt extremely great to just rest. Once his wounds had been cleaned and dressed, Alex took his charred knife to the sharpening stone and took the time to hone the blade to its original sharpness. A new cord-wrapped handle made the weapon useable and comfortable in Alex's grip. He smiled at his craftsmanship and turned to his niece.

"You're awfully quiet this morning." He remarked.

She smiled. "I miss Kovu. And I'm a little worried."

"There's nothing to be worried about," Alex said for the umpteenth time. "Your father will understand his situation, and everything will be fine."

The young lioness rolled onto her back and stretched leisurely. "I hope so… I don't know what I'd do without him."

"You met him less than two days ago." He reminded her.

"I know, but I feel like I've known him forever. I can't describe it."

Alex shrugged and laid down in the grass, still damp from the morning dew. "Well, I hope everything works out for you guys. I think you're a great couple."

Kiara chuckled. "Aww, that's so sweet _Uncle_ Alex!" she said mockingly.

"Watch it." He warned playfully, throwing her off balance with a nudge of his palm.

"_You _had better watch it yourself," she countered with a broad grin across her face. "I might just get my lover to beat you up!"

"Let him try!"

"You were lucky I stopped you earlier, he could have really hurt you."

"What?" Alex exclaimed, sitting up to face her. "No! I had Kovu right where I wanted, _he_ would have been the one in trouble!"

Kiara giggled and looked up at the clouds. "Whatever you say, Alex. Whatever you say. By the way, how exactly did you escape from Zira?"

Alex shrugged. "They put me in this stone cell against the wall of the termite mound, and I just dug through. The ground and rocks were loose enough to just push out of the way."

"Hmmm. That's cool, maybe I'll remember that in case I ever have to escape from a stone cell.

Alex chuckled. "Yea, because it happens _sooo_ often."

"It could!" she replied adamantly.

The morning melded into midday and Nala soon came to join the two in their relaxation.

"Daddy took him out for a talk." replied Kiara.

"Oh no…"

"He wasn't mad or hostile when he came by," explained Alex. "I think he really just wanted to talk."

Nala shrugged and laid down beside them. "Well I hope he- Alex!"

"What?"

"What happened to your shoulder?" she asked, horrified at her brother's wound.

"Oh yea… well, umm. It's kind of a long story." He explained.

"Do explain!"

"Well, last night after I left Kovu and Kiara… sort of got captured by some outlanders."

"WHAT?" Nala was on her feet by this point.

"Yea, so Zira did this, but I escaped and made it back before sunrise."

Nala was livid. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US? YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!"

"Well I was going to, but some other stuff kind of came up…"

"WHAT COULD HAVE POSSIBLY DISTRACTED YOU FROM _THAT?_"

Alex glanced at kiara hesitantly. She nodded and sat up to face her mother as Alex continued.

"Well… I sort of found out that Kovu was an assassin sent to kill Simba… but it's okay," he scrambled, trying to calm his friend's horrified expression. "He won't do it… He and Kiara… They sort of hooked up I guess."

Nala just stared blankly. "_What?"_

"Mom," Kiara started. "I know Kovu, and he would never hurt Dad. Not anymore. That's what they left to talk about, Kovu couldn't stand to keep lying to us anymore. He really does care about us."

Nala shook her head in disbelief. "I go to sleep one night with everything fine, and wake up to find that my brother and daughter could have filled a book with their night's escapades." With that, the older lioness let loose a deep sigh and collapsed in between the two. "When will Simba and Kovu be back?"

"Soon." Alex replied shortly. "They've been gone a while."

The day passed uneventfully and Nala soon became restless with waiting. "I'm going to go looking for them, it's been too long." She told the two worriedly.

Alex stood. "Yea, I'll go too."

Kiara shook her head tiredly. "I'm about to fall asleep… I'll catch up later."

Nala smiled at her daughter and headed off with Alex into the savannah. They walked in silence for a while, but eventually Nala broke the silence. "So you think Kovu really did have a change of heart?" she asked bluntly.

He nodded. "He told Kiara the truth without hesitation; he didn't even _try_ to lie about it. It took guts that I didn't think he had. But besides that, you should have seen the way he looked at Kiara."

Nala glared at her brother warningly.

Alex laughed and explained. "No, not like that. He reminded me of Simba when you found him in the jungle. They shared the same look you two did."

Nala smiled and returned her gaze to the trail. She was about to say something, but a sight in the distance caught her eye. "S_imba!_" she cried, taking off toward her wounded mate.

Alex saw the king walking raggedly down the path and raced after Nala to help. He reached his friend's side shortly and caught him just before he collapsed. "Simba, what happened?" Alex asked hurriedly.

The great lion grunted in pain and managed to squeeze out a few words before he fell into unconsciousness. "_Kovu…_ Ambush."

Nala lifted her mate onto her shoulders quickly and set off towards Priderock. Alex followed close behind in shock. First Kovu was bad, then he was okay, then he was an assassin, then he repented, and now it seemed as though he had turned _again!_ The whole situation was just unbelievable and it filled the teenager's mind. There had to be more; something, _anything_ that would explain this. Whatever it was, it would have to wait until Simba woke up.

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Once back at Priderock, the whole Pride was thrown into distress. For the first time since their banishment, the outlanders had made a blatant attack on the Pridelanders. The revelation of Alex's capture the night before only enraged the lions that much more. They wanted to retaliate, but their first priority was Simba's health. The great golden lion eventually woke and related his story of ambush.

"Zira said that it was what they had always planned." He said darkly.

"Yes, honey." Nala muttered quietly. "We know."

Simba sat up despite the pain he was in. "What? How could you know?"

"He told me this morning." Kiara replied. She had been in a deep state of confusion ever since her father had returned from his outing with Kovu. She just couldn't wrap her mind around it.

"You knew?" Simba stared horrified.

Alex decided to speak up. "He said he didn't want to do it anymore, Simba. He told us everything, and we convinced him to go tell you."

Simba shook his head hopelessly and laid back down on the stone floor. "He led me into an _ambush_. And he used my_ family_ to do it!"

"Daddy, Kovu wouldn't-"

"He _did,_ Kiara!" The king reminded her harshly. "There's no way to sugarcoat it! I went for a walk with the lion, and I was attacked by his pride!"

"Simba…" Alex began. "Couldn't it have simply been a random occurrence? Maybe Kovu didn't know what was going to happen."

"Well, he certainly didn't try to _help_ me. As soon as the fighting started, he was gone."

Alex leaned up against the walls of the cave in sheer confusion. He had no idea what to make of the situation; everything was too convoluted. "I'll go get you some water." He told his friend before leaving for the waterhole. The human walked past the angry lionesses and pride animals that ringed the main cave; they wanted blood, and it made Alex a bit uneasy. The pride was blinded by anger and hate, and he hoped that they wouldn't make a mistake because of it. Too many human leaders had made the same mistake, and their followers had paid the price.

He moved quickly and filled his water bottle from the stream. He started to walk back the short distance to Priderock, when a booming voice echoed from the lip of the great stone.

"Why have you returned?"

Alex raced to see what was happening. He burst from the foliage to see Kovu standing at the base of Priderock, looking up at Simba.

"Please…" the dark lion begged. "I ask your forgiveness."

Simba paused a moment before continuing. "When you first came here, I reserved judgment, and I pass it now! EXILE!"

A cry of protest erupted from behind the king as the gathered animals began to aggressively force Kovu from the area. Alex looked up to see Kiara pleading with her father, begging for him to reconsider. He returned his gaze to Kovu, who had broken into a run to escape the animals. Alex moved to cut him off and managed to stop him before he left the gathering.

"Kovu." Alex blinked in surprise at the fresh gash across the lion's eye. _Just like Scar's_

"Alex…" he stuttered. "I didn't- I mean… I'm sorry." With that, Kovu took off towards the boundaries, running as quickly as he could to escape the nightmare that he had unleashed upon himself.

Alex watched him leave, unsure as to how to feel. He was sure that Kovu wasn't responsible for the attack, but Simba clearly thought he was. He had to respect Simba's wishes, he was the king. But at the same time, Kovu wasn't at fault here. He wanted to help the poor lion, but he couldn't think of anything to do. Alex frowned and headed back to the main cave.

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"Alex!" called Simba when the teenager returned to the cave. "I was beginning to worry."

Alex shrugged and gave him the water. "I think you're making a mistake Simba." He said bluntly.

Simba growled angrily and began to pace. "You and Kiara have been misled!"

"Where is she?"

Simba frowned and sat against the wall. "She's in the back cave. She isn't allowed to leave Priderock for now."

"Simba…"

"I won't let her get hurt, Alex!"

"She won't, and besides, I don't think that Kovu was the biggest threat to her safety."

"Kovu was following in Scar's footprints… he was too dangerous to keep around."

Alex sat down on a nearby rock and was silent for a while. "You know, Simba… I _knew_ Scar pretty well, and I've gotten to know Kovu pretty well too. One thing that I feel very comfortable saying is that Kovu is _not_ Scar. No more than you are, anyways."

Simba looked taken aback. "That's an interesting thought. I guess that I _do _have more of a connection to Scar than Kovu does."

"Kovu was a victim of circumstance, and I think we punished him wrongly."

Simba was silent for a while before responding. "Maybe you're right, Alex. Maybe I _was_ too har-" The king was cut off by the flapping of his major Domo.

"SIRE!" Zazu squawked frantically. "The outlanders are coming! It's WAR!"

*****Author's Note*****

**Okay, this time I**_** do**_** actually have something to say. This is a message to all of you who have stories that you are working on. WRITE MORE! There are about five different stories that I'm dying to read more of, and I know that most of the writers are frequent readers of mine. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, IF I COMMENTED ON YOUR STORY, I WANT TO READ MORE! If this story was better, I would hold updates as ransom, but frankly I don't think anyone would care that much. Haha.**

**I'm clearly joking about the caps and the ransom, but seriously, update soon. As always, review and comment please!**

**-Ben**


	8. Chapter 8: War and Peace

*****Chapter 8*****

*****War and Peace*****

With the revelation of Outlanders coming for war, Priderock became a chaotic place of scrambling lions. Lionesses sharpened their claws on smooth stones and sparred lightly to refresh their skills. For most of them, this would be their first real fight since the overthrow of scar if ever. There was an air of nervousness, mixed with anticipation. Every lioness there wanted to fight the outlanders that attacked their King; it was a matter of pride.

Alex stared out at the gathering storm clouds. Something that never ceased to amaze him about the Pridelands was how the weather always perfectly mirrored his feelings. It was as if the kings of the past had something to say about the whole situation. The teenager shrugged and returned his focus to the wrapping he was applying to his forearms and wrist. One thing that he had learned long ago was that animals will bite whatever they can and the more protection for bare skin, the better. Once finished, he stood and picked his staff from the wall and sharpened the end to a point. The wood was hardened in the fire at his feet and he spun it a few times to loosen up his arms.

With his knife hung on his belt, Alex took off toward the main cave. He was ready to join the other lionesses that had gathered for the briefing. He was about to enter, when an angry roar erupted from a side cave. Alex rushed into the cave to find Simba and Nala glaring at Timon and Pumba.

"She's _gone_?" Nala asked angrily.

Timon was petrified. "Well- you see- we just… AAAHH! She got away!"

"Calm down Timon." Simba told him firmly. "How did she get out? There's only one entrance."

"There's a small hole in the back of the cave," responded Pumba. "She must have moved some rocks aside to get out!"

Simba growled irritably and began his habit of pacing.

Alex almost laughed as he remembered his earlier conversation with Kiara. She had clearly remembered what he had said about digging out a back door. "Not that it isn't important that we find her," he began carefully, "But I think we have a bit more of a pressing matter at hand."

Nala nodded reluctantly. "Zira and the outlanders need to be dealt with first. We can find Kiara later."

Simba was silent for several moments as he contemplated the suggestion. He shook his head and looked up at Alex. "I would feel a lot better if you went to go find her, Alex."

"But what about the battle?" he countered.

Nala brushed up against her brother. Alex, you are great at fighting, but you wouldn't hold up in a full out pride-battle; lions are just too big and tough. I'm not okay with you throwing yourself into this."

Alex frowned, but he knew she was right. He could fight hyenas all day and come out on top, but lions were a different story entirely. They _were_ big, more than twice his weight, and they _were_ tough. A well trained lioness could shrug off blows in ways that humans could not. Alex recalled an old hunters joke that said: _When unsure of what you're shooting at, shoot it. If it drops it's human, and if it runs it's a human_. The point being that humans tend to give up easily when wounded, but animals will fight to their dying breath to ensure their survival. Pain didn't deter lions like it did with humans, it _encouraged _them.

"Fine. I'll find Kiara, but as soon as I make sure she's safe, I'm coming to help you against the outlanders."

Simba gave a half smile. "Of course."

"I'll see you guys soon then." He knelt down to give Nala a strong hug. "Be careful." He told her, knowing well the dangers of a battle.

"You too." Simba countered, pulling his brother in law into an equally strong embrace.

With nothing more to say, Alex left the cave and descended down the ramp past drilling lionesses. He watched his family sadly, knowing well that some would not return from the fight. He prayed that they would emerge victorious; to be forced from Priderock was a fate worse than death.

As he reached the edge of the common area, Alex broke into a run in the direction that Kovu had fled. He ran around boulders and over streams; through frightened herds and groves of Acacias. Dark clouds blanketed the sky and blotted out the setting sun while sharp and sporadic gusts of wind rolled across the savannah.

As he increased his distance from Priderock, Alex began to scan the surrounding area for any sign of Kiara. However, he found little sign of the young lioness. A crushed plant here and a paw print there gave a good indication that he was on the right track, but it was vague. Alex was always worried that he wouldn't be able to find the next marker and would lose her path completely, but every hindered feet or so his searching would be rewarded with another clue of his niece.

He continued along for almost a half hour longer before voices in the distance caught his ear. Alex headed in the direction from which they came, and soon spotted a pair of lions nuzzling each other in the evening light. Alex stopped for a moment to appreciate the sight. Despite all the violence, drama, and turmoil that had occurred in the last few days, Kovu and Kiara found simple happiness and bliss in being with one another. It was something that he wished happened more often in the world. Maybe, he thought, they could stop this war.

"Kovu," Kiara said softly. "We have to go back."

"You're kidding! But we're finally together!"

"If we run away, our families will be divided forever."

Kovu sighed and looked up at the clouds. "Alex?" he asked in a surprised tone as the teenager approached them."

"What are you doing here?" Kiara asked, equally surprised.

"Simba sent me to make sure you got home safely."

"Well we were just going there! I need to talk to my father."

Alex shook his head regretfully. "He isn't there. No one is."

Kovu looked at him curiously. "Why not?"

"The outlanders have invaded the Pridelands. The entire Pride has left to meet them in the fields."

"What?" they both exclaimed simultaneously.

Kiara looked to Kovu urgently. "We have to stop this!"

"But how?" Kovu countered. "They hate each other, we can't just _talk_ them _all_ out of it!"

"I think that you're missing the point Kiara", Alex began. "The outsiders are generally _bad_. I don't like to use that phrase, but they are. Scar was an evil lion, and his followers are no better."

"You're wrong." Kovu replied adamantly. "Most of us never even _knew_ Scar. We were only fed lies by my mother. If we can convince your pride that we aren't all bad, maybe some of my pride will see the same in them."

Alex smiled at the young lion's wisdom. "Well, it's worth a shot I guess. But frankly, if we don't hurry there won't be many people left to talk to."

Kiara nodded seriously. "Let's go."

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The trio ran across the savannah just as rain began to fall. It wasn't long before they all were soaked to the bone, but it didn't bother them. They were on a mission, and nothing would stop them. Alex led them towards the battleground where he knew Simba had planned to meet the outlanders.

They reached the canyon that separated them from the battle that raged on the other side. Alex bolted across the bridge of dammed logs that had accumulated from a long past flood. They could see the prides fighting each other tooth and nail. Suddenly the groups parted and they could see Simba and Zira circling each other. Both prides watched their leaders begin the fight for control. Kovu and Kiara ran ahead of Alex, and to his amazement, leapt in the middle of the fight, separating the two rivals.

Kiara faced her father adamantly and Kovu did the same to Zira. Alex was just catching up to the two when he saw an outlander begin a leap towards Kiara from the opposite side. Alex thrust his spear into the dirt and vaulted over the distracted princess to deliver a solid kick to the attacker's face. The force sent them both sprawling across the mud, but Alex quickly stood and backed against the two younger lions on guard. He wasn't about to let anyone attack either of them.

"Daddy, this has to stop."

"Stay out of this!" he told her firmly before turning to Alex. "I thought I asked you to take her back home!"

Alex shook his head. "Sorry Simba, but she's right. This has to stop."

"Daddy, I wise king once told me that _we are one_. I didn't understand then, but now I do."

Simba stuttered. "But they-"

"Them? Us? Look around, they _are_ us." She said softly. "What differences do you see?"

Alex looked around in amazement as all of the fighters' expressions softened. They _understood_ what she was saying. There was no reason to fight. He looked up at the sky to see the clouds part. The rain ceased to fall and the wind stopped blowing.

Simba nodded slowly and smiled. "It _is _time for this to end."

The moment was shattered by Zira. "Vitani! NOW!"

"No, mother!" the lioness refused. "They're right. This _has_ to stop." The outlander walked forward and stood alongside Kovu.

"If you will not fight, then _you_ will die as well!"

The other outlanders looked at each other hesitantly. They clearly already had problems with fighting a peaceful pride, but now Zira was commanding them to kill their own family! It must have been too much, because one by one they walked over to stand with Simba's pride.

Alex swelled with a mix of pride and relief. They had done it; Kiara and Kovu had managed to end a war just by _talking_. It was yet another lesson that he wished more people in the world could have learned.

"Where are you _going?_" demanded Zira towards her fleeing followers.

"Let it go Zira." Simba said calmly. "It's time to put the past behind us."

She glared at her mortal enemy for a moment without speaking. Then in barely a whisper, "Oh no Simba… I'll never let it go. This is for _you,_ Scar!" With that, she leapt at Simba with her claws extended towards his throat.

Alex leapt to intercept her and knocked her to the side, but the lioness rolled and tackled him to the ground. Alex drew his knife out of his pocket and managed to slash her across the shoulder, but Zira ignored the pain. She lunged out and bit his arm aggressively with her crushing jaws. Alex yelled in pain as he felt his forearm break under the protective wrapping. In a single movement he reeled back and thrust his knife deep into her abdomen. The evil lioness fell back, but quickly stood. She was about to lunge out at the teenager for a final blow, but was caught midair by another lioness. Alex watched in horror as Kiara tackled Zira to the ground and the two rolled off the cliff.

"KIARA!" he screamed in unison with Simba, Nala, and Kovu. Nala helped Alex to his feet and they all rushed to the edge of the cliff as fast as they could. Simba leapt down the terribly steep stone to where Kiara had fallen. Alex watched in amazement as she tried, despite _everything_, to save the evil lioness.

"Zira please…" she begged. "Give me your paw!"

The slipping lioness sneered at Kiara. "I would rather _die!_" With that, she proved her words and threw herself from the ledge. Both prides watched in stunned silence as Zira fell from the cliff and into the canyon below. It was a dramatic fall, made eerie by the gleeful smile that was plastered to the lioness' face. She truly _preferred_ to _die_ rather than accept help from a Pridelander. Alex shook his head at the sheer insanity of the descision.

Simba and Kiara soon arrived back at the top of the canyon, and to everyone's relief they were unharmed. After a brief hug from Nala and Alex, Kiara raced to Kovu and the two shared a deep and intimate nuzzle. Alex walked over to Simba and nudged him.

"Like I said before," he said quietly. "I think it was a mistake to exile him."

Simba nodded and smiled. "There are a couple of other mistakes I made as well." he walked over to his former enemy. "Kovu, I was wrong. You _do _belong here."

Kovu and Kiara smiled, grateful for the king's decision.

Simba looked around at the mix of Pridelanders and Outlanders. "Let's go home." He said strongly. "All of us."

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*****Epilogue*****

The days passed quickly, but not quickly enough for the wounded teenager. Rafiki had fixed Alex a cast for his cracked forearm and told him to keep it on for seven weeks. Though he hated the cast and wished he could have it off as soon as possible, it was still better than the weeks of rehabilitation after the hyena- mauling so long ago. At least he could walk around this time.

The outlanders successfully integrated into the Pride's daily life, and soon the malnourished lionesses had regained the weight they had lost in the outlands. Had Alex not already known who had had come from Zira's pride, it would have been impossible for him to tell who was who. They even acted the same; Kovu had been right. The vast majority had simply been misled by Zira, and once they realized the error of their thinking they were just like any other pride member.

The sunlight shone down on Priderock and Alex trotted down the trail for the ceremony. Today was Kovu and Kiara's wedding day. Despite his cast, he was overjoyed at the occasion. He reached the common area just as the rest of the pride did. Simba and Nala led the newlyweds past the onlookers and toward the lip of the great stone. Alex smiled at the procession, but Nala wasn't as pleased.

"Alex!" she hissed in a loud whisper.

"What?"

"Get over here!" she demanded.

"What?"

Simba smiled. "Come on, you're supposed to be here too!"

Alex navigated through the crowd and fell into step alongside the King and Queen. "I thought only the royal family was part of the procession."

Kiara laughed and pushed him playfully. "Well, _Uncle_ Alex, you _are _part of the royal family."

"You always seem to forget your place around here." Nala said through a grin.

Alex smiled. "Sorry, I'm not too great at this sort of thing."

"Well we're glad you're here now." Simba said warmly as they reached the tip of Priderock.

The group looked over the savannah to see the gathered herd animals that had come to see their new prince. Simba let loose a deafening roar, and Kovu followed suit with his own thundering roar. Simba looked to Alex and nudged him. He was clearly impressed by his son-in-law's roar.

Alex was satisfied with how everything had turned out; no one had gotten seriously hurt (e_xcept himself_) and Kovu proved to be the lion that he hoped he would. He stood on the promontory of Priderock with his true family, and all was well. It seemed that a new golden age was dawning over Priderock, a new age that he intended to be a part of.

*****Final Author's Note*****

**Well I'm finally done with this story, and frankly I'm glad to be. Not that I didn't enjoy writing it, but the nature of the story was starting to bother me. There was little I could do that would still stick to the storyline, but also allow me some creative freedom. I mean honestly, you all knew exactly what was coming long before I ever hinted at it, and that's just the way it is. I hope you enjoyed reading this, though I don't think it's one of my better works.**

**I've already started my next story about if things had gone a little better for Kovu and I hope that you check it out. It won't be that long, but it should be good. After that I have another story pretty well planned out that I think will be epic. If you want more information about either you can check out my Profile.**

**-Ben**


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